Break Me
by destinybond17
Summary: It was supposed to be just an ordinary night, but it turned out tragic for Magnus Bane. Can Alec figure out what happened to his boyfriend and can he get to him on time?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello, guys! After a very long hiatus, I finally post something. It is not another chapter of "Letters...", though, because I think I ran out of the ideas for this fic. So, here it is, my new story: "Break Me". I hope you will enjoy it, and please let me know whether you did or not :) I don't know if I will write another chapter. It all depends whether it's good or not, and I tend to get moody when it comes to my stories...

**Disclaimer:** I do _**not** _own The Mortal Instruments or any character in this story, they all belong to Cassandra Clare.

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It was dark and more quiet than usual. Magnus was walking the streets of Brooklyn on the way to his apartment, back from work. He was really busy today and all he wanted was a good night's sleep. It was clearly visible if someone got to take a look at his face – dark circles around his cat eyes showed that the warlock was exhausted and could just pass out any moment.

He was perfectly aware of the time – it was almost 3am, so he did a little math and realized that he's been awake for over eighteen hours straight. The assignment he had to work on today was tough, but he had been paid handsomely, too. After all, summoning several demons and imprisoning them was not something, that could be done by some ordinary warlock. But Magnus was The High Warlock of Brooklyn, and with the title always come consequences. Some worse than others.

When he got to the door to his apartment and reached for the doorknob, he realized it was open, even though he remembered closing it before he left. He stepped inside, warily, and saw a dim light coming from the living room.

That could only mean two things – someone tried to rob the warlock, or…

"_Alexander_," he said, as he stepped inside the living room and saw the Shadowhunter asleep on the canary yellow couch. All the exhaustion and distress dismissed in the moment he saw dark-haired boy. He looked so peaceful, so beautiful, dressed in his black pants and sweatshirt. _He must have been waiting for me_, Magnus thought and smiled at that thought. He took his velvet scarf, black jacket and shoes off and sat on the couch next to Alec, positioning him the way that he could hold his head on his lap. Slowly and gently he stroked the boy's hair and couldn't get enough of staring at his beautiful face. He bent over and kissed his boyfriend's forehead, and when he returned to his previous position, he was met by two deep-blue orbs staring at him.

"Hey there, sleepy-head," Magnus said and Alec chuckled, reaching his hand to caress his boyfriend's cheek. Warlock snuggled against Shadowhunter's palm and smiled brightly.

"I thought we could spend some time together, since I have to go hunting with Izzy and Jace tomorrow," Alec said and looked at his watch. "Well, today, I guess."

"Tell me you don't have to leave soon," Magnus pouted and Alec couldn't help but give him a little peck on the lips, he just looked so adorable.

"Sorry," he shrugged. "I was waiting for you, but then I remembered that you had this appointment set for today…"

"Ah, it's okay," Magnus said. "As long as you come back fast, angel," he smiled and they kissed again.

It was supposed to be just a normal kiss, but it soon became something more, an act of pure love and bliss, such irresistible desire working them up and making Alec get up and straddle Magnus on the couch, never breaking their kiss. Magnus purred into a kiss and grabbed Shadowhunter's shirt just to bring him closer. He requested his entrance by licking Alec's lower lip and moaned when they could finally taste each other.

When they finally broke apart they both were breathless and their eyes were glowing with happiness. Alec's cheeks were flushed and he shivered slightly, when Magnus rested his head on his shoulder. He held him for a little moment before standing up and picking up his weapons from the floor where he left them earlier.

"Don't go," Magnus groaned, but he knew that it was pointless. Alec was a Shadowhunter and he had his duties. Besides, Jace was his parabatai and he wouldn't stop complaining about Magnus taking all of Alec's free time. He knew they would never have an opportunity to enjoy peace, because there was always something standing in their way – the Clave, Magnus' clients, demons, the Law…

He could never really shake the feeling that he sees his boyfriend for the last time, when he leaves to hunt. Alec's mortality was what frightened Magnus the most. He was so scared that one day he will not come home from the fight. That he will have to see his lover's cold, lifeless body and won't be able to do anything because it will be too late.

"Magnus?" Alec interrupted Warlock's grim thoughts with a worried look on his face. "Everything okay?" He asked, frowning.

Magnus just shook his head and faked a smile, just like he did every time Alec was leaving.

"Just be careful, okay?" he said. Alec bent down to give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Always am," he answered and turned around to leave, as always giving his boyfriend the one last look before he walked out of the apartment leaving Magnus alone with his thoughts and worries.

Warlock soon moved to the bedroom and lay down in his bed, which seemed just too cold without Alexander. It has always been this way. Ever since the first night they slept together in this bed. They both got used to it and couldn't really sleep well without one another.

But Magnus was too tired to stay up, so he gave up and fell asleep soon.

After a few hours of sleep, Magnus was interrupted by an insistent ringing and knocking on the door. He got out of the bed, cursing whoever was behind that door who dared to disturb his rest. He knew it couldn't be Alec, because he was probably still hunting and besides, he had his own key.

Warlock put on his pink robe and went to open the door. Apparently, someone standing behind them was not willing to stop knocking and ringing the bell, so he had to see who is it, and then smite him with blue sparks if it's not important.

But the second he opened the door, all the color was drained from his face. The person standing there was tall, had a black hair like Alec's and his mouth was pressed in a thin line. Robert Lightwood.

"Finally," he said. "Didn't you hear me knocking?!"

Magnus rolled his eyes. "I heard you. Just didn't feel like answering."

"We don't have time for this, Bane," Alec's father hissed. "We need to go."

"Well, last time I checked I do not belong to the Clave and I shall not be available for all their stupid requests," Warlock said and attempted to close the door, but Robert stopped him.

"Wait!" he said. "It's Alexander."

There. It was all that Magnus needed. Alec. Alec was hurt.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice hoarse. He couldn't help but play all these terrible scenarios in his head. Alec lying on the floor in the pool of his own blood. Alec looking at him for the last time before giving up the ghost. He couldn't bear the thought of losing him. It was impossible.

After a few seconds that seemed like years, Robert spoke.

"There was a Greater Demon, it was a trap. It tried to kill Isabelle, and Alec got in the way. He is dying." _Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no. Please, God, no, _Magnus pleaded in his mind, it was a desperate prayer, like a mantra. _Please, let him be okay, please… I can't lose him. _

"Let's go, quickly," Robert said, waking Magnus up from his shock. Warlock put some clothes on and ran after Lightwood, with only one thought, one little wish, little glimpse of hope that it's not too late.

He can save him. He's done it several times now. But each situation like that was like a nightmare that had no end.

The men ran across the streets, ignoring traffic and everything else around them. Magnus wondered if Robert really cared whether his son lived or died. After all, he was the one who called him a "disgrace to the whole Lightwood family". But he didn't have time nor desire to think about it, because he would have to fight the urge to just get rid of the other man.

Finally, it seemed that they reached their destination, because when they got to the old warehouse, Robert waved for Magnus to come inside after him, which he, of course, did.

He didn't cry. He couldn't. He had to be strong for Alexander.

"Alec?" He cried when he came inside the warehouse. He was just about to ask Robert what is going on, when he heard stifled laugh and someone's footsteps.

"Finally, the Great Magnus Bane, what a pleasure," he said and laughed again. When Magnus tried to use his magic on him, it occurred to him that it's not working. No blue or red sparks, no nothing. He felt terribly human, terribly mortal without his magic.

"Robert," he growled. "What is going on here? Where is Alexander?"

At the mention of his son, Robert glared at warlock, and said:

"Starting today, you will have nothing to do with him. You will never see him again. I tricked you. I win."

Magnus could just stand there in complete shock. How could he get tricked by this appalling man who hates his own child? How could Robert Lightwood outsmart him? That's easy. He knew his weak spot and he used it. Effectively.

"I will kill you," Magnus spoke with a venom in his voice.

"No, you won't," Robert hissed and then raised his hand to call for his subordinates, creatures that could only come from Hell. They grasped Magnus by his arms and even though he was struggling to break free, he was unable to. One of the demons hissed into his ear in their ugly language:

"Hello, brother."

Magnus felt something hit him hard in the back of his head and then there was nothing but darkness.

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**I hope you guys liked it a little :) As always, reviews are love :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _Hello guys! Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows! I love you all! Well, this chapter is out a bit faster than it should(since I decided to update once a week, on Sunday), but Easter break is finally here, so I can write more :) I hope you guys enjoy it :)_

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Alec shot an arrow straight into a head of the demon that took hold of Jace and tried to snap his neck. Iblis demons were not clever and even though they had the power of fire at their disposal, they went for the obvious kill. Grab something, hit something, kill something.

Jace used the moment of surprise caused by Alec's perfect shot and drove a seraph blade through demon's chest. He then ran straight to his siblings to make sure they were okay, even though he was the one who nearly died.

"Jace, are you alright?" Alec asked, concerned about his parabatai's health. "You could have been killed! What the hell is with these demons lately?"

"I'm fine," Jace said and took a look on Isabelle, who was cleaning her whip from black demon blood, and then examined both his siblings for any injuries, but found none. Isabelle looked at the boys and smiled when she saw their clothes covered in mud and dried blood.

"Seriously," said Alec. "What is this girls' sorcery? Your clothes never get dirty."

Izzy took a stele out of her pocket and drew minor iratzes on each of them, so their bruises would fade quickly. Her eyes were laughing with triumph, when she finished drawing little burning marks on her brothers.

"I told you once, Alec," her smile grew wider. "I'm pure at heart."

Jace chuckled. "Good for you. I'd rather be _dirty_." Isabelle rolled her eyes at him, but obviously he didn't manage to make her stop smiling. They were about to get out of this tunnel when they heard something in the distance, like howling or something. Jace looked at Alec, who was already holding a bow in his left hand and was determined to go and fight whatever creature has been hiding in the shadows, but he just put his hand on the black haired boy shoulder, and said:

"Let me go first."

Alec wasn't willing to agree, but seeing his parabatai's face, he just sighed and let him go, but obviously he followed him right away.

They ordered Isabelle to stay and wait for them to return, but she didn't listen anyway, so they were all on their way to face the creature they thought was a demon. About fifty meters further, they came across something that looked like a piece of human skin and it made them feel sick. Their thoughts immediately wandered to their loved ones, since each of them had this one person they would not bear to see here, deteriorating, in the hands of some gross son of a bitch.

They were all breathing heavily, scared of what might happen in the next five seconds, but they remained focused on their task. The howling and screeching grew louder, and they assumed they are really close. Suddenly, when they turned left, they saw the source of noise – it was a creature they had never seen before, but they were positive it was a demon. Big, irregular, rotting body was shaking slightly in the dim light coming from a hole in the ceiling. The demon was green but with a traces of black blood on it.

When Jace attempted to come closer and examine it, because his Shadowhunter instincts were befuddled by the thought the thing was in pain, the demon must have noticed the Shadowhunters because it screeched even more wildly and began to charge toward them.

Jace, who was the closes, suddenly realized he was just about five meters from raging pile of poison, but it was too late to run now. Alec and Isabelle shouted his name and began rushing toward him and the demon, but they could only see how it extends its sticky arm and punches Jace in the back. The boy fell, but still had a will to fight, so he repeatedly stabbed demon with his seraph blade, but it didn't even flinch.

"It's not working!" Jace shouted and it ended with a cough. Demon was ready to make its final blow, when something just zapped him and it fell to the ground, dead.

Jace frowned, he didn't understand what just happened, so he looked at his siblings and found Alec even more surprised than himself. He wanted to ask them how did they kill the demon, when Isabelle just laughed and they saw her with a whip in her right hand.

"Well, it doesn't hurt to always have some electrum…" she began. "Just in case a demon is immune to seraph blades."

On that, Alec just shook his head, but smiled and kissed his sister on the cheek.

Then they heard Jace hissing in pain and discomfort and rushed toward him. They were sure he was fine, but obviously there were some complications.

"Iratze, anyone?" said blonde Shadowhunter when they got to him, and passed out. Isabelle took out her stele once again, but this time it was Alec who drew a rune. Jace didn't even stir when he was receiving a burning healing rune.

"We must take him to the Institute," Alec said and picked Jace up, giving Isabelle her stele back.

When they got to the Institute, it was almost empty, with just Maryse Lightwood and Church inside. The woman gasped and brought her hand to her mouth, but quickly regained a clear head, something that she was well-known for. She's seen her children in close to death situations since they were twelve, so she got used to it. Or maybe she was just aware that if she is the one to be panicked, then what about them?

"Take him to the infirmary!" She directed her son. "Go, Alec!"

Alec carefully carried Jace to the infirmary, where he laid him on one of the many beds and let Maryse take care of him. She examined young Shadowhunter's body, but found nothing but a nasty poisoned wound on his back.

"Isabelle, go grab a vial of antidote," she said, her voice surprisingly steady. "I made some, few days ago, just in case."

Isabelle ran out of the infirmary in the search of the antidote and Alec stayed with his mother and Jace. He thought briefly about getting Magnus here to help, but dismissed the idea. He wasn't completely sure that Maryse accepted their relationship and seeing warlock could do more bad than good. It wasn't that he felt pity for his mother, or was ashamed of being with Magnus. He was just tired of hateful comments and glares they got from his parents every time they saw them together.

The truth is, that even though Alec will never stop being a Lightwood and will never cease to love his family, he couldn't care less if they are opposed to him dating Magnus. He was the most important person in the world to him now and nothing his family said and done could change it.

His mother still worked things out better than his father, though. Robert could not contain his hate toward the warlock or his gay son.

"Alec?" Maryse interrupted his thoughts. She seemed nervous. Isabelle was already back with antidote that they injected into Jace's wound with a needle. "Jace is stable, there was not any major injuries, but he is in a lot of pain," she said. Alec couldn't agree more, he saw a flash of discomfort on his parabatai's unconscious face.

"Um… I know we are not in good terms, but…" Maryse continued. Alec frowned, he had no idea what she was talking about. She sighed and her voice was steady and strong now, but with a little bit of uncertainty. "Do you think you could get Magnus to help ease Jace's pain a little?" she asked.

Alec raised his eyebrows, he did not expect that.

"Of course if it's not a problem, I know he's the High Warlock, he must be busy…" Maryse must have misunderstood Alec's expression.

"No!" Alec interrupted her rant. "No, it's not a problem. I will call him right away."

His mother offered him a shy smile of gratitude.

"Thank you." She said.

Alec left a room, leaving Isabelle and his mother to take care of Jace and he took a phone out of his pocket. He pressed number one on his speed dial. After a few signals there was only voicemail to answer his call. He tried once more.

Still nothing.

Something was clearly wrong. Magnus always picks up his calls.

Alec decided to leave him a voicemail.

"Hey, Magnus, um… It's Alec. Are you okay? I'm worried. I was wondering if you could come over to the Institute, if you're not busy. Okay… call me," he said to the silence.

He stumbled back to the infirmary where Isabelle and Maryse sat with Jace, who was clearly awake.

"And? Is Magnus coming?" Maryse asked when she saw her son in the doorway. Alec frowned, couldn't contain his worry and horrifying feeling that the panic attack is just around the corner. It's not that he's overprotective, or insecure or something. It was just so unusual that it got scary. Magnus always picked up his phone when Alec called. He interrupted his sleep, his business meetings, even styling his hair and picking up clothes.

Normally, Alec would never make a fuss over Magnus not picking up his phone, but this time was different. This weird feeling in Alec's gut was constantly with him, the whole day. He feared something bad happened.

"No," he said. "I don't think so."

Isabelle giggled and said, "Trouble in paradise, huh?" and Jace glared at her, he seemed to forget about his discomfort, because he felt his parabatai's worry just like it was his own.

"Alec, what's wrong?" he asked. Alec didn't reply at first, thinking about what he should do now.

"Something is wrong. I think I need to go," he answered after a long while. His family looked at him concerned, but he just turned around and walked out of the Institute, leaving them speechless.

He wanted to get to Magnus' apartment as fast as possible, and somehow he acquired a strength to run faster than he did on daily basis.

When he got to the oh-so-known house he didn't even bother knocking, he just stormed into the apartment and shouted Magnus' name.

All he could find was some of Magnus' clothes discarded on the floor, including his robe. Also, his phone with a few calls from Alec. Chairman Meow also seemed concern for his master, because he was just wandering around the apartment, mewing.

He didn't want to pry into his private stuff, but he had to check his notepad to see if he had any meetings scheduled now.

He had none.

And then panic attack reached him like a horrible nightmare. He sat on the couch and buried his face in his hands. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe, but he was too worried to actually bother with trivial things like this.

Alec felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. He answered the call, didn't even look at the name displayed on the screen.

"Alec?" a weak voice on the other side was Jace's. "Are you okay? We are worried, you left in such a hurry… What happened?" he asked and for a while Alec didn't know how to answer that question, because he was looking for an answer too.

"I think something bad happened to Magnus," he said. "He's gone."

Alec could feel tears running down his face but he couldn't stop them. He was thinking one question over and over again, the question that he had been left with unanswered.

_Magnus… Where are you?_

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**Thank you for reading! I hope you all have a very happy Easter time with your family and friends, and... See you soon! :) Also, reviews are love, I really enjoy reading them :) **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Hey guys! Thank you so much for all reviews, favorites and follows! Sorry for late reply, I've been busy lately, didn't have time(and will) to write. But it's sunday and here's the new chapter! I hope you guys like it :)_

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own The Mortal Instruments, I just own the plot._

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Magnus woke up to the sound of rattling in the distance, but wasn't able to open his eyes. He felt the chains burning around his wrists, but he was too weak to break free. His senses were blunted like human's and all the time he spent struggling against the chains and force field was good for nothing. Whatever power kept him here, separated from his magic, was too strong for a warlock to use. It kept pushing him and draining his life, slow enough just to keep him alive. Warlocks were strong, due to their demon parentage, but still some kinds of magic were effective against them. They weren't indestructible.

Magnus groaned as he felt a sharp pain in his ribs when he moved. That helped him open his eyes, but he couldn't see much around him, because there was only a dim blue, burning light of handcuffs around his wrists, that made the room slightly visible.

There was a smell of burned flesh in the air that made Magnus want to throw up, but since he had an empty stomach, he could just wait for convulsions to end. His breath was shallow and wheezy and Magnus suspected he's been kicked hard in the ribs. There was blood on his cheek and his head was pounding, but it wasn't the worst part of this situation.

When cold realization of recent events hit him, he wanted nothing more than to take his revenge.

No. There was one more thing. One _very important _thing. But he couldn't remember what exactly that thing was.

He felt this weird emptiness in his heart, like it's been torn apart. Like some part of his soul has been taken away from him.

"Robert!" he gained all the power left in him to shout. "Robert Lightwood, I know you're in here! Show yourself, you bastard!"

Only silence answered him. He heard someone chanting in the distance, something that seemed to be a magic spell, but Magnus couldn't make out the words.

Then, from the shadows, emerged a tall, broad-shouldered man he immediately recognized. _It's him,_ Magnus thought. _He's… someone's father. _

The man had an ironic smile dancing on his lips when he was coming closer to the warlock. Behind him there was a girl, she looked barely fifteen, she had a really pale skin, which contrasted with her big, wide open black eyes and long, black hair. When she was chanting, Magnus saw her tongue – like a snake's one. _Warlock's mark,_ he thought. The girl was a warlock.

"Cozy, isn't it," said Robert as he walked over to chained and beaten Magnus. Warlock gritted his teeth and pulled on handcuffs, trying to break free, but he only felt sharp pain and something draining him.

"Now, now," Robert was obviously having a great time torturing him. "There's no need to hurt yourself."

"What is wrong with you?" asked Magnus quietly, and Robert growled.

"What is wrong with _you_?!" he shouted. "I'm just trying to fix some things."

Magnus rolled his eyes ignoring the pain that slowly started to overwhelm him. He felt like passing out, the sight of the Lightwood made him sick to his stomach.

"The only thing that needs fixing here is you," said Magnus and winced. The angrier Robert was, the more painful were the handcuffs and chains. Could he control them with his mind? Or maybe that's what the Warlock Girl was doing?

Magnus couldn't help it, he closed his eyes again, wishing to fall into oblivion. But for a brief moment, something appeared underneath his eyelids. Firstly, there was only something black, then something blue… Magnus thought the blue orbs were eyes. They looked at him like two deep oceans and suddenly he felt home. Then he saw the whole picture – a young man, dressed in Shadowhunter fighting gear, his hair black and eyes blue. There was something familiar in the way he smiled when he was looking at Magnus. Like he saw the world in him.

Magnus snapped out of his visions with only one word on his mind, waiting to be spoken.

"Alexander," he whispered. He totally forgot Robert was in the room, alongside the young warlock.

"Master," someone said. It was surely a girl's voice, quiet, but stern, with just a slight hint of fear. "He's fighting me. The spell failed."

Robert's mouth became a thin line. He was really mad. He grasped Magnus by the collar and made him stand.

"Just give up, _warlock_," he growled. "Stop fighting!"

Then Magnus remember everything. He could recall every detail of the young man's beautiful face, all the kisses, all the nights, each time they were just holding each other to sleep, every time he whispered '_I love you'_ and it was said back to him. He loved this man. His blue-eyed _Angel_.

He couldn't forget about him. He had to fight this. He had to get back home to him.

"No!" he shouted with newly regained strength. "You can't make me."

For a moment two men were just staring at each other, each with the same obstinacy.

After a while, Robert broke the silence.

"Actually I can and I will," he said. "With the help of this…" he gestured toward the girl. "…little, powerful creature."

"Who is she anyway?" Magnus asked, not really holding his breath for an answer, but obviously Robert was very talkative.

"She's a very powerful warlock. I can see you are afraid of her, and you should," he smiled. "For the next few weeks, she will be the _bane _of your existence. No pun intended." He laughed at his own joke.

"What did you do to Alec? I swear to God, Robert, if you hurt him, I will…"

"Do what, huh? _Kill_ me? Sorry, but it occurs to me like it should to you, that you're the one chained and without your magic."

Robert took Magnus by his chin and forced warlock to look at him.

"Alexander's well-being should be none of your concern. You're sick. When I think about you _fucking _my son, this… This makes me want to throw up. You depraved him, Demon's son. You're an ugly creature from Hell and I fully intend to send you home!"

Magnus spit blood on Robert's face and struggled against the chains, growling.

"Fine, _warlock,_" Robert growled as he wiped blood and spit from his face. "Be that way. If you choose the hard way, so be it. But I promise, you will beg for me to kill you."

Magnus laughed bitterly.

"You can threaten me all you want," he said. "Go ahead, kill me. I won't do anything for you, anyway."

Robert had a cruel smile spread on his lips. Magnus could just think how much he wanted to wipe that smile off his face.

"You won't have to. I _always_ get what I want and this time won't be different."

"Alec will hate you for killing me, you know that." Magnus whispered, suddenly feeling weak.

"If you really think he will choose a _filthy_ Downworlder over his family, you're wrong. He's a Shadowhunter, and losing his Marks would be worse than _death_ for him. He will make a good decision."

Magnus didn't want to believe it. He knew that Alec loves him. The only thing he can do is wait and fight the spell that makes him forget. _He will find me,_ he reassured himself. _He will._

"I want power," Robert continued. Magnus' eyes widened, but he didn't say a word. "And we all know that sacrifices must always be done. With power always comes the price. But in my case, killing you will be a prize." He said.

"Go on, my dear Emily. Continue." And the warlock girl started chanting the spell again, making Magnus fall into unconsciousness.

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Alec was sitting on a chair at the Institute with his mouth pressed into a thin line. He was now positive that something bad has happened to Magnus. He _felt_ it. The question was, who could have done something to him? As a High Warlock he must have had quite a few enemies, but he was powerful.

Sometimes Alec thought Magnus was indestructible, that the fact that he was alive was something certain. _Being_ with him, apart from some... complications, was the steadiest thing in his life. And it's been taken away.

But he couldn't just sit here and wait for news, which would probably be bad news. His family wanted to help him, of course. Well, some more than others. He called his father, but Robert had his phone switched off. Maryse said he was busy, but Alec had to face the fact, that his father wouldn't be too helpful, because he hated Magnus and their relationship.

"Alec," a soft voice interrupted his pondering. It was his mother. She came over to him and put her hand on son's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "Did you reach him? Ragnor Fell?" she asked.

He's been trying to contact one of Magnus' friends, High Warlock of London, Ragnor Fell, but he was unavailable. If someone could help Alec, it's either him or…

"No," he said. "I will send a message to Catarina."

"Who's Catarina?" Maryse asked, frowning.

"Catarina Loss, she's a Warlock, and also Magnus' friend." Alec answered. "Now she's my only chance of finding him."

He hid his face in his hands and felt tears burning his eyes, but he didn't let them fall.

Maryse stayed with him and comforted him, whispering soft, soothing words that only a mother could.

* * *

The room in the old warehouse was almost empty. It was quiet, Emily stopped chanting, Robert was probably somewhere hurting innocent people and for one brief moment Magnus could enjoy being alone. He had bruises all over his arms and chest, from what he could see. But the worst was feeling of complete despair.

He didn't doubt Alec would look for him. Not ever. He had faith in him.

It was probably selfish and stupid, but he didn't want Alec to see him like this – weak, vulnerable… human.

Maybe he wasn't himself anymore? Maybe without his magic he didn't deserve to use his name…? Because everyone knew Magnus Bane as a High Warlock, so if he… stopped being a Warlock, then what?

_No,_ he thought. _This won't happen. Alec knows me, he knows who I am, apart from being The High Warlock of Brooklyn. He won't be disappointed…_

Magnus heard the door open and saw Robert coming in. He was accompanied by two Raum demons, really ugly ones, and another person, apparently a man, with a bag over his head. Magnus thought he saw the man's skin and he could swear it was… green. _No. Not him. Please, not him. _

As if Robert heard Magnus' thoughts, he put on his little cruel smile and took a bag off his companion's head.

_No. _

"Ragnor!" Magnus' eyes widened in panic. Ragnor had the same handcuffs blocking his magic, so nothing could stop Robert now. Demons came over to Magnus and grasped his arms and head so he had to look at their Master.

"So," Robert said, pleased to watch Magnus struggling and trying to fight for his friend's life, or for a luxury of not having to watch his death. "How about a little sacrifice before breakfast?"

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_**I hope you guys liked it, reviews are love, they make me want to write. x**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** _Hey guys! Oh my God, it feels like forever. I am so sorry for not updating this story, it's been crazy... I don't want to find excuses or something, but somehow I've lost all of my work, fanfiction and other writings, and I was so mad at the world, but mostly at myself. I'm not going to promise you new chapter any soon, because you all know that I suck at updating regularly. I hope it will be a nice surprise when I update it next time. Anyway, thank you everyone who's reading it and I'm sorry if you were waiting for a new chapter and it didn't come. I feel so ashamed..._

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own anything in this fic apart from plot. Characters etc. belong to Cassandra Clare. _

* * *

Everything was pulsating inside Magnus' head. Million thoughts and questions for a minute – can he save Ragnor? _How? _Why is Robert doing it? What does he want?

Shadowhunter reached behind his back and pulled Seraph Blade out. "Azriel," he whispered and the weapon he was holding started glowing, it seemed vibrant in the blue light. "Finally, the Angel of destruction serving the right cause…"

"The right cause?" Magnus found his voice. He ignored burning pain and focused on his anger. "How is this right? Killing people is never right." He growled.

"People?" Robert said. "Don't you dare calling your filthy kind people! You are even worse than demons!"

And with that he grasped Ragnor's neck and brought Azriel to his throat. Ragnor winced.

"Magnus, help me," he pleaded.

Magnus remembered all the moments with his friend. Even if he was grumpy all the time, Ragnor was an amazing friend. He couldn't just let him die. That was not an option. He had to save him, even if it was the last thing he'd do.

The blade cut Ragnor's throat and red blood began to stream down his neck. He was grunting and struggling but was too weak to overpower Robert.

Suddenly, Magnus' rage was too much for him to take. His eyes blazed and he was breathing heavily, but somehow he found enough strength to break free. Chains, that were holding him, cracked and burning flames disappeared. He was still weak and knew that he shouldn't use magic because he might lose consciousness, but he definitely had to do something.

Robert was shocked, but didn't waste any more time, as he drew the blade to Ragnor's chest.

Magnus forced his muscles to coöperate and with the last resort of adrenaline shot, he threw himself on Robert leaving long, bloody marks with his nails on man's arm.

"Leave him alone!" Magnus yelled and groaned as sharp pain burned his ribs. He fell on his knees and looked at Robert's blade that was dancing around Ragnor's chest. Robert was obviously having a time of his life, playing with them, but Magnus wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed being played with.

He knew that blood loss made him extremely weak, but still he forced blue flames to come out of his fingers and he sent a wave of force toward the seraph blade that Robert was holding. Everything was one, big, blurry mess, as the blade sizzled and lost his sparkle. Robert hissed and dropped his weapon to the ground, the inside of his hand burning red.

Then something changed in the air. Robert laughed and ordered demons to get Magnus back to where he's supposed to be. When the Warlock was dragged back, he looked at the creäture next to Robert, where Ragnor should be standing. But it wasn't him.

It was a shapeshifting demon and it looked pretty strong. Magnus gritted his teeth. He seemed as if he was about to fall down but Robert's minions held him tight and kept him standing.

He heard laughter and of course it was Robert.

"Oh, look at this, Magnus!" he said, mocking him. "Your precious little green bean is safe. Who would have thought that you will be so eager to save your so-called friend?"

_Ragnor was safe._ _Hopefully. _

The Lightwood waved his hand and suddenly there was no one at his side, or next to Magnus. Demons disappeared and Magnus fell on his knees. He had to focus on something, anything, to stay conscious.

"You…" Magnus said. "Son of a…" He could no longer speak coherently so he fell silent.

Robert turned around and ordered the warlock girl to come into the room. Then, he turned back to Magnus.

"You're stronger than I anticipated. But don't worry, Emily will take care of you. Just look at her," he said and Emily flinched. "She's really pretty," he caressed her hair gently, almost with affection. "After all, you like black hair, don't you?" he laughed.

Now Magnus was definitely sure that the Shadowhunter had something on the Warlock girl. She was just so afraid of him, but it was obvious that if she stood up to him, she would overpower him.

Her aura was visible for Magnus even if his skills were disabled now. Sensing other warlocks aura was something only other Lilith's children could do. He's been told many times that his aura is changing often, but most of the time it's really dark, probably his father's influence.

Emily was still looking at her Master as if he was a God, but not a good God who loved everyone. Cruel, merciless creäture that was able to kill everyone without hesitation.

"What do you want me to do?" She asked. Her voice was shaky, but her eyes were dead. Emotionless.

"Try that spell of yours, again," Robert answered and headed to the door.

"And if he fights you," he opened the door and the stink of demons came through it. "Kill him. You know how to do it." He said and he was gone.

* * *

Catarina Loss left the Methodist Hospital at Seventh Av in Brooklyn and headed home. It was dark, so she gladly disposed of her glamour, it was tiring enough to wear it the whole day. Her blue skin slowly began to find its way to the surface and soon she was back to normal, her Warlock Mark proud on her skin.

She switched her phone on and saw a few unanswered calls and texts from the familiar number.

She read the first message.

_Hey, Catarina. It's Alec… Alec Lightwood. Call me as soon as you get this. It's important._

"Uh-oh," she mumbled to herself. That pretty, blue-eyed Shadowhunter that Magnus was so fond of, well, his boyfriend, actually…

"Ugh, stop, Catarina!" she scolded herself, as she remembered that her and Alec were friends now, even though she still thought dating him would only hurt Magnus, as he would die and leave the warlock behind. _Just like I was left behind, _she thought. But it's over. They were friends. And if he said it was important, it was.

She opened another text message.

_Hi, it's Alec again, as you can probably see on your phone, but… Please, I can't contact Ragnor, he seems to be out of reach, and you're my last chance to… Just call me, okay? It's about Magnus._

She hit the call button immediately after reading that message. _It's about Magnus_. These words were hovering in her head and she couldn't shake them. Something must have happened to her friend.

After a few signals, someone picked up the phone.

"Hey," said the tired voice on the other side. "Finally. What's with you, people? Why can't I contact any of you when I need you?"

"Sorry, Alec. I was at work and had my phone switched off. What the hell is Ragnor doing? Why can't you reach him? No! First, the most important thing – what's wrong?" She asked him.

There was a sigh and then the same tired voice full of anguish spoke again.

"Magnus is missing. I don't know whether he's been kidnapped or… something else happened to him. I just don't know what to do, where to start looking for him."

Catarina closed her eyes and thought for a moment. Analyzed the situation. Magnus's gone missing. Not for the first time, but usually he ended up getting drunk and flying away on the magic carpet. However, Catarina would bet every money that wasn't the case this time.

Magnus wouldn't have left Alexander without saying a word. Ever.

"Catarina?" said Alec. Apparently she's been quiet for a little too long, she did that sometimes when she was thinking too much.

"Yes, sorry. Look, Alec, I'm in Brooklyn. I'll try to contact Ragnor and we'll be at the Institute in an hour, okay? I promise I will deliver Ragnor's green ass at your door in an hour." She said and before he could say anything, she hung up.

She sent a special fire message to Ragnor, wherever he was.

It said:

_RAGNOR, YOU PUNK, GET YOUR ASS BACK TO NEW YORK FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE, IMMEDIATELY! OUR FRIEND MAGNUS BANE IS IN DANGER, YOU ANTISOCIAL SON OF A…_

She couldn't finish the sentence because she had to send it quickly. After a few times when Ragnor was unavailable, Catarina made sure he would always get her messages. It was convenient.

About fifteen minutes later her phone called.

"Hello?" She said.

"Catarina," Ragnor greeted her with his usual grumpy voice, but this time it was cautious. "I received your message. Sorry, I was at the Amazon so there was no reception. I found the nearest Portal and I'm near the New York Institute now."

"Okay, good. Just wait for me there."

She made her way to the Institute pretty fast thanks to her magic tricks and soon she was met by her friend. There was no time to explain, though. She just called Alec and let him know they're outside and after a few minutes he left the building to meet them.

He was stopped by his father, though. Robert Lightwood appeared from nowhere and insisted on talking to his son.

"Alexander, what's going on? What are you doing with these two?" He said.

"I have no time to explain," Alec growled. "I called you, and you were busy, so don't act like you care now."

"I care, son. Tell me." There was something in his voice that made Alec sigh in exasperation and he told him the whole story.

"Oh, God, that's terrible," Robert said. "Unfortunately I don't know anything about it, I haven't seen Magnus or heard anything about anyone holding a warlock hostage. I'm sorry, I don't know how to help you."

"Don't bother," Alec said and joined Catarina and Ragnor.

"Alec," Catarina whispered. "He was lying. I could feel it."

Alec didn't look surprised. Hurt, maybe. But not surprised.

"I'll deal with it later. Now, where should we start looking?"

To both Catarina and Alec's surprise, Ragnor was the one to speak.

"Hotel Dumort," he said and looked to the North.

"What?" Catarina inquired. What would vampires want with Magnus? Really, Ragnor, if you're just doing it so you can see your precious Raul, I'm going to kill you."

"Raphael," Ragnor corrected, a little too quickly and he blushed. "And no. He doesn't rule there, after all. And we all know Lady Camille Belcourt held a grudge against Magnus."

Alec looked stricken.

"Let's go," he said and they rushed to the Vampires' Lair, even though it only ever brought trouble.

* * *

Magnus looked over at the young Warlock girl. She half closed her eyes and stared at him, clearly curious.

"How did you do that?" She asked him after a few minutes. "How did you break these chains? They were improved earlier, especially for this occasion."

Even though the words seemed to be grim, her voice was so much different from what Magnus heard before.

He exhaled and spoke quietly.

"Do you have any friends?"

Her mouth was a thin line, but her eyes were teary. She looked like she was going through the memories of her whole life, and maybe she was, who knows. But just for this moment she felt so vulnerable, even more than Magnus.

She nodded.

"I do," she said, uncertainty in her voice. "I have thr… two best friends. And my family."

"Did Robert hurt your friends, Emily?" Magnus asked her. Perhaps if he could engage her into conversation, he would have more time to regain his power. "Your family?"

She bit her lower lip. The light glinted on her perfectly white teeth. She fell to her knees and then sat down on the floor. Her hair covered her face but her aura was unsteady and she was trembling.

"Master would kill them… If he knew… That I was talking to you. He would kill them just like he killed Noah…" she whispered through her tears.

Magnus knew it was too much for such a young girl to handle, so he spoke soothingly to her.

"It's okay. I'm so sorry that he killed your friend."

"He was my special friend. I… I loved him."

"Oh, so he was your boyfriend, then?"

How old could she possibly be? Sixteen, seventeen maybe? And already that damaged. Magnus began to wonder if Robert wasn't even worse than Valentine could ever be. It was convenient for the Lightwood. Always in a shade of Valentine, nobody could see what he was really up to.

"Yes," Emily admitted. "And the Master killed him. And I must obey him, because he will kill the rest of them. My mother, my step father… And all because I was born into their family. And they accepted me with all my… flaws. Now they must pay in blood." She said bitterly.

Magnus felt a strong impulse of compassion. He was stronger with each passing second, but he wasn't willing to hurt this girl. Well, she could probably hurt him before he even moved for an inch.

"They are not flaws, your marks. You are very lucky to have a family that loves you. Not everyone does, when they're born with a Warlock Mark."

"I'm worried about my sister. She's also a warlock, but he didn't want to take her. He said that she… was too weak. That her father wasn't powerful, like mine."

"Who's your father, Emily? Is it a Greater Demon?" Magnus asked her, suddenly curious.

"I can't tell you, Magnus Bane. I'm sorry." She said and walked away from Magnus, ignoring him calling after her.

* * *

**Thank you for reading it, I hope you are willing to let me know whether you liked it or not in a review :) **

**Oh, some off-topic, guys, how did you like CoHF? Did it meet your expectations?**

**Thanks and see you again(hopefully soon)! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Hi guys! First of all, thank you so much for all your reviews, follows and favorites! I really appreciate them and they make me so happy. Thank you! Here it is - Chapter 5. It took me a little longer than I expected, but also the chapter turned out to be a little longer than I intended it to be, I'm pleasantly surprised. It may seem boring to some of you, it's kind of like a filler chapter, but it had to be done sooner or later. I apologize for no Malec in this one(again)! _

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own The Mortal Instruments or any characters other than Emily the Warlock Girl. _

* * *

The Institute was dark and quiet. Even Church seemed to hide somewhere, probably in Jace's room, which was always clean and organised and that's how the cat liked it most. Also, no one would interrupt his rest there, because Jace was always mad if he found out someone had been in his room while he was away.

Robert wandered around the Institute for quite a long while, looking for Maryse and the rest of the family. It was utterly quiet, only his even breath and heavy boots interrupted this silence while he was walking. He remembered the first time he came into the building a few years ago, when he was sent to manage the New York Institute with his wife. It was supposed to be punishment, but Robert thought about it more like a prize. Valentine was dead… Well, kind of, and thanks to little Alexander they were not stripped of their Marks and could rule the Institute. As the years passed, he got used to it, but something always brought him back in time. He enjoyed power, being superior to others, deciding who lived and died. He liked when Downworlders pleaded for their lives. He was able to show mercy, but what was the point?

_With fear comes the power. _

That's what Valentine used to say to the members of the Circle when they started to lose their temper.

Suddenly, Robert stopped and looked around to see if no one's coming his way. He reached to his pocket and grabbed a little, golden key. The key shined in his hand as he began to unlock the massive looking, brown door. That room hasn't been used for a while now and Shadowhunter hoped that it would stay this way, because getting caught here would surely cause him some inconvenience.

When he came into the room and closed the door behind him, he felt a sudden wave of memories that were sunk deep in here. There were four boxes inside – four stories to tell and four old lives buried – each one was different. Shadowhunter children don't have ordinary lives, but they're still children. And every child should have a toy.

Each box was signed with a thick, black marker.

The first one on the left was Isabelle's. Inside there were dolls, but not ordinary dolls – instead of pink princess dresses and blonde hair, these had long, raven black hair and little copies of Shadowhunter gear, that Maryse helped Isabelle sew when she was ten.

The next box had Alec's name written on it. It contained his favourite toy – a little plush lion that was supposed to be Jace's, but he didn't like, so he gave it to Alec. Since then, Alec didn't let the little lion out of his sight. There were also a few encyclopedias, a copy of Shadowhunters and Downworlders book and his old Codex.

The third box had _„Jace Wayland"_ scribbled on it and was full of weapons – old daggers, a few chakrams, seraph blades, swords. Robert didn't think it was weird, after all, that's what Jace always got for his birthday, he never asked for toys, because weapons were toys for him. Robert suspected it had something to do with Jace seeing his father murdered, he wanted to be able to defend himself all the time.

Then Lightwood looked at the last box. Comic books, mangas, wooden soldiers and a pair of glasses. It was signed as the _"Property of Maxwell Lightwood"_.

Robert didn't even flinch. The sight of his dead son's old toys surely hurt him, but he managed to control it. He walked over to the box that belonged to Jace and quickly dropped some brown pouch inside and hid it behind all the weapons. He closed the box and headed toward the door, never looking back.

Soon he found himself in one of the rooms where the Lightwoods always had their family meetings and he was surprised to see Maryse, Jace and Isabelle sitting on the couch, talking. All three seemed to be upset about something.

"Chances are low," Jace murmured and ran his fingers through his hair. "As much as I hate to say it… I think it's possible that he might be dead by now."

Isabelle gasped.

"But if he really is, then… _Alec_…" she whispered and Jace patted her on the shoulder.

"Robert," Maryse said when she saw her husband approaching. "Where were you for the whole day?"

The man winced. He got used to being asked that kind of questions every time he stepped into the Institute, but it irritated him all the same. _Where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with? What's her name? _

He has always answered these questions, though. He might have not loved his wife, but they have shared mutual respect earned with passing time.

"I had some stuff to do," Robert replied.

Maryse gritted her teeth with annoyance but said nothing more to her husband. Instead, she turned to Isabelle and Jace sitting next to her and spoke again, quietly but sternly.

"He's not dead. He's just missing and we have to do everything we can to find him."

"Maybe we could get Clave to help," said Jace. He looked tired, like he didn't sleep in a few days. It was not weird, though. Jace and Alec were parabatai. Whatever Alec felt, Jace felt it too and it must have got really intense by now. "You know, the Accords and all that, I'm sure it's against the Law to… kidnap a Downworlder." He looked at his adopted mother, expecting to see an approval in her eyes, or maybe something more.

"Mom, please, there must be something we can do," Isabelle pleaded.

Maryse sighed and a ghost of a tired smile appeared on her lips for a second, before her features hardened again.

"You're right. We could at least send a word to the Clave. They might be helpful," she said, but she wasn't convinced. Truth to be told, she only said it for the sake of her children who were so hopeful, so eager to help. It hurt her, knowing what they are all going through, especially her oldest son. She might not have approved of his relationship before, but they all made her understand and see Alec's partner in a new light. She just wished she could convince her husband, but that was a lost cause from the moment they found out about their son dating a male warlock.

Robert chimed in.

"You're talking about the warlock, aren't you?" he asked them, staring intensely at Maryse. "Alec told me what happened. But understand, you can't contact the Clave about it… You know they are not fond of Downworlders and they have a good reason for that. The Lightwoods used to be honorable family. Respected. But now, it's all corrupted. You, who are suddenly so familiar with all these creatures..."

"They are not creatures, Robert," Maryse interrupted him. "They are people, just like us."

Robert snorted.

"See? That's the kind of talk that will get Shadowhunters extinct," he growled. Isabelle was shocked with her father's speech and Jace made a sound of disgust deep inside his throat. That didn't stop Robert from talking, though. "You may hate me for this, but I hope Alexander never finds that warlock. It's better for him if he doesn't."

"And how come it's better, huh? Explain this to me, because I don't understand a thing you're saying." Jace demanded.

"Look, Jace, Alec is the oldest of you now. He could lead the Institute soon, if he wanted to, but not with that reputation! He could be the next Inquisitor, or Consul, but he may never get this opportunity, because the Clave thinks he's not good for this job. And you know why they think so."

That was too much for Isabelle. She stood up and walked over to her father. She held up an accusatory finger at him and before Jace or Maryse could help her calm down, she hissed:

"You… You don't get to decide who my brother loves. What, you think I don't know? I know everything! Don't you ever forget that some Faeries are my friends and it's well known that Fair Folk knows everything."

Everything fell silent. Robert could hear his frantic heartbeat, not knowing what Isabelle could threaten him with. _What does she know?_

"Isabelle?" Maryse was clearly confused, but the girl only held her hand up and cut all questions.

"You keep talking about how Downworlders are bad, that they are not human, they don't deserve to live… So tell me, what were you doing with Camille Belcourt?" She asked, furious. "Playing chess, perhaps?"

"Isabelle!" Robert yelled and grabbed his daughter by the shoulder, but Jace stepped in and dragged his hand from his sister's arm. Maryse stood up, she didn't seem confused anymore, she didn't feel betrayed, hurt, or surprised. If anything, she was disgusted with the man she used to love. Father of her children.

"What, now you're all so against vampires?" Robert said, smirking.

Izzy once again faced him, she felt a sudden urge to hit him, but Jace held her tightly and didn't want to let go.

"No," she said. "We're against hypocrites."

She stormed toward the door, she turned around just for a second and mouthed "I'm sorry" to her mother, but she only smiled at her, letting her know that it's okay and she has nothing to be sorry about.

* * *

"Let's go, Jace," Isabelle said as she ran out of the Institute, into the cold, midnight air. She grunted in frustration as she tried to get some of her hair out of her eyes, but this time her adopted brother came in handy.

"What was that about?" Jace asked. He couldn't believe Robert would turn out to be such an asshole, to say he hates all the Downworlders and then sleep with a vampire.

"Don't you get that?" Isabelle said. "He kept judging Alec, treating him like he's not worth to be called a Shadowhunter, and now what? A vampire? Camille? Jace, I think he's up to something."

Jace nodded.

"Yeah, I think so, too. But now, let's go find Alec. He stormed off the Institute without saying a word and I have an odd feeling in my gut about all this," he said. He touched his parabatai rune, which felt kind of heavy on his skin that night.

When they were about to start looking for their brother, Jace's phone buzzed.

"Clary," he said in a sigh of relief after he had pressed the green button. "Just the voice I needed to hear." He smiled and Isabelle rolled her eyes.

"Jace." Something in Clary's voice made the golden-haired Shadowhunter flinch. He braced himself for the worst. The silence between them was so heavy that it seemed almost unbearable. Jace was not ready for any more bad news. He wondered, if that's how all his life would be – constantly waiting for someone to drop a bomb at him. "A few werewolves from Luke's pack… They were out hunting, and…" Clary sobbed.

"And what?" Jace demanded quietly. _Please, no, _he thought.

"…Someone attacked them. Killed them with cold blood."

Isabelle must have heard her, because she let out a quiet gasp and brought her hand to her mouth. Both her and Jace knew the werewolves from Luke's pack. They were even friends with one.

"Did Maia…?" Jace said and his voice broke. This was too much. It had to stop. They had to stop losing people. People needed to stop disappearing and dying.

"Yes."

"Who did this?"

"We don't know. But there's something… Something you should know, maybe you could see any sense in that," Clary said. Jace nodded, even though she couldn't see him. After a moment she spoke again. "Someone cut their claws out."

Jace's eyes widened. Whoever did this, must be a total psychopath. But who could fight a pack of werewolves in the night and win? Jace ran his hand through his hair. Too many questions, too many.

"I will let someone know," he said and hung up.

"Maia is _dead_?" Isabelle whispered. "And her friends too? What about Luke?"

"He's okay." Jace's tone was grim. "Let's go, Izzy."

They were walking and walking, but couldn't think of one place Alec could go to. They were both tired and in desperate need of a good night sleep, but they ignored that feeling. Somehow, after about an hour, they found themselves near the Hotel Dumort.

They looked at each other, both wide-eyed and breathing heavily, even though they could walk miles and miles and never get tired.

Isabelle grimaced.

"What's that smell?" She asked.

Jace took her hand in his and he felt her shaking. With his left hand he reached to his belt and picked a dagger for defense. The night was darker than ever, even though New York never slept. They heard cars driving in the distance and they realized that life never changes for New York citizens, not like it does for them.

Jace took a deep breath and said:

_"Death."_

* * *

"Well, I can't say it was a surprise, too," Maryse said to her husband. She was calm like always, and he seemed just a little angry about his secret coming into the light. "_Lady Camille Belcourt_. I've never known she had such a bad taste in men."

"You're aware that it's something you share with her, right?" Robert smirked, but Maryse was not impressed by his comment.

"Why didn't you just leave me? I could have raised Max myself." The woman's voice was stern.

"You don't get it, do you?" Robert said. "That kind of action would not be tolerated by the Clave. Family drama, affairs… Just like Alexander's behaviour won't be tolerated. He could _never_ have a future I've always wanted him to have, unless he comes to the terms with some things he just can't change. And don't bring Max up, Maryse. We should both be over it by now."

Maryse flinched, but after a moment she regained the ability to talk.

"What do you know about Magnus? Because let me get this straight – being away from him, not knowing whether he's alive or dead – it kills Alec. You're right, Max is dead. But I won't let you get my other son killed. And I promise you, if he finds out you're behind this, he will kill you himself. And I won't stop him." She hissed at the man, looking him straight in the eye.

Robert didn't seem to be scared by her speech. He just laughed and shook his head.

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, my dear Maryse."

* * *

**Thank you for reading! I hope you'll leave a review and let me know whether you liked it or not :) **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **_Hello readers! God, it's been a while. Thank you for your constant support and that you didn't forget about me, I certainly didn't forget about you, even if it sometimes seems like it. Some original work of mine must have consumed me for a while, I'm so sorry. But I hope it will be worth in the end, because my biggest dream is getting something of mine published._

_Anyways, here's a new chapter, I hope you like it, because I certainly did have fun working on it ;)_

* * *

Magnus suspected it was his lucky day because no one was there to torture him, but still, every time he tried to fall asleep and get some rest, the worst of his fears haunted him. The visions so vivid that they left him breathless when he woke up. The nightmares were usually the same – a person, who looked like Alec, tried to kill him. But the worst ones were these, in which Magnus fought back and it was Alec who ended up dead.

Of course, deep down he knew it wasn't real, that it was not Alec's neck he gripped, but hell, it felt so real.

He was surprised when after what seemed like a really long time, the door opened and someone stepped inside the room.

It was Emily. Her hair was a mess and she looked exhausted, but her eyes were wide open.

"He told me to check on you," she said quietly and moved closer to Magnus. He looked at her, emotionless, because he didn't know what to expect. Her moods were changing like crazy and he could never know what she's up to.

But when she smiled, it seemed genuine, so Magnus smiled back.

"Well, I don't exactly have a move here, right?" he said and shook the chains, smirking. "Talk to me. You have something on your mind, tell me."

Emily sighed and mumbled incoherently, waving her hand towards the door. Magnus watched her in silence.

When she finished whatever she was doing, she spoke again, looking at the warlock.

"Look, I sealed the room, but we don't have much time before Robert realizes something is wrong. Hopefully, he won't," she said and reached to her pocket and grabbed a little, silver key, that was shining in blue. Magnus frowned, trying to figure out what was going on.

"I believe your time here will soon be over, Magnus. Robert has everything he needs and he will not want to wait." She knelt in front of him and took his hands in hers. "You asked me once, who my father is. I didn't want to tell you that, because for warlocks it's actually irrelevant, but it can't stay a secret any longer." She was breathing heavily as if she just finished a marathon.

"What do you mean?" Magnus asked.

Emily smiled nervously and swallowed before answering.

"My father is Asmodeus. We're… Well… Technically, we're siblings." She bit her lower lip and stared at Magnus' shocked face.

He was speechless. He has never known any warlock who would be his father's, but he's never really paid attention either. It's not like warlocks kept track of all the women their fathers seduce and all the children that are born from their intercourse. But this was different. For the first time in Magnus' life he had this person in front of him, holding his hands, looking at him. It was an odd feeling, but not really unpleasant either.

"How come I didn't know that when I first saw you?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

Emily just shrugged and smiled sadly.

"Maybe I didn't want you to know," she said. Before Magnus could ask any more questions, she spoke again. "Remember, we don't have much time. Listen to me." She gave him the little key she was holding and cupped his face in her hands. "When you get a chance, run. Promise me that, Magnus. Promise me you will run, as if Hell was chasing you. And don't look back."

Magnus took a deep breath.

"What about you?" He asked quietly.

Emily shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "Promise me."

Magnus gritted his teeth. He was angry at himself, at his helplessness, at the chains that kept him from using magic and protecting himself and his sister. There were so many words he wanted to say, but he knew he had no time. He could only wish someday this time would come. But for now, all that he could say were two simple words:

_I promise._

* * *

Hotel Dumort was dark and quiet as always, but what was covered by the shadows frightened Alec. There were piles of bodies, pale and cold.

Dead vampires.

He has never seen anything like this before. He remembered the time when he and his friends came here to get Simon back, after vampires changed Simon into a rat and kidnapped him from Magnus' party. But it was different now. That day, he was afraid of what vampires might do to them, that they may kill Isabelle or Jace, and even Clary, but this time he had no idea what or who could possibly cause such damage.

Demons, maybe, but Sensor didn't show any demonic activity.

Alec turned around and looked at Catarina, who attempted to check on a few bodies. There was no sight of blood, nor any cuts, bruises, it looked like something killed them from the inside, but they all knew it was impossible.

"Alec, look," Catarina said still looking at the corpse, while Ragnor was wandering around the hall.

Alec kneeled beside her and took a closer look at a place she showed him. There was a bit of blood pouring out of vampire's mouth and they could see that his fangs were missing.

"By the Angel," Alec whispered. "I'm not fond of vampires, but still, it creeps me out. Why would anyone need vampire's fangs?" He frowned.

Then they heard the door open and saw Jace and Isabelle coming inside, Jace with a seraph blade in his hand and Isabelle with her whip.

Alec didn't know what was more shocking to them – the sight of him, or dead bodies of vampires. He suspected both.

Isabelle ran towards Alec and threw her hands around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"You bastard, how could you not say anything? We were so worried…" she said.

Alec didn't answer, because he didn't really know what to say. _I'm sorry, but when someone you love is in danger, you shoot first and ask questions later?_ They would probably think he's on some suicide mission and doesn't care whether he makes it out alive or not. It was true, but they didn't have to know that.

"What happened here?" Jace asked. He looked over at Catarina kneeling next to a dead body of an undead.

"Someone slaughtered them. All of them, we believe," she said. "But what's more, the killer took their fangs. Well, some of them."

"What?" Jace hissed. Isabelle shuddered at the thought of someone butchering people like that. She was also surprised, how easily she managed to think of vampires as people. At this point it occurred to her, that there is a significant difference between a kill and a murder. Shadowhunters only killed demons, that invaded human world and were dangerous to the human kind. But this… It was something different. Vampires were murdered at their home, there was no reason for someone to think they are dangerous, after the incident with Simon, Shadowhunters of the New York Institute were always keeping track of what Hotel Dumort's inhabitants were up to.

"Isn't that exactly what happened to Luke's pack, Jace?" Isabelle frowned.

"Luke's pack?" Alec asked, visibly confused. Jace and Isabelle realized, that they haven't yet shared the horrible news with their brother and his warlock friends.

"Someone killed them too, we don't know who, even Luke doesn't really know what happened. But their claws were missing. The murderer carved them out," said Jace.

"Werewolves' claws, vampires' fangs…" Alec sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair and gritted his teeth. "Either it's just a horrible way of showing Downworlders they don't belong here, or –"

"It's a spell."

Everyone turned to Ragnor, who was the last person anyone would expect to speak on that matter. He was still walking around, he seemed to be thinking about something very hard and his mind was far, far away from the Hotel and everything that happened.

"What do you mean, Ragnor?" said Catarina and when she didn't even get him to look at her, she groaned in frustration.

It was Alec who stepped before Ragnor and stopped him in his tracks. He placed his hands on warlock's arms and made him look at him.

"Come on, focus. What kind of spell are you talking about?"

Ragnor sighed in exasperation and clear annoyance.

"You take claws of a werewolf, fangs of a vampire, you mix them with blood of a faerie and add the last ingredient, and poof…" Ragnor said slowly and his tone suggested that theory was boring to him.

"And what happens?" Jace inquired.

"Each of the Downworlders races has some special ability, werewolves are strong, vampires are fast, and so on… When someone seals that with a spell, he acquires all these abilities. And becomes immortal, assuming he can get his hands on the last ingredient," Ragnor explained.

Everyone looked as if they were about to fall over. There was someone in New York, who wanted to acquire greater strength, and it seemed that he couldn't care less about the lives that were sacrificed during the process. They all wondered what would happen if it worked. Could this person spread it, like a new race, or something? What would that mean to Shadowhunters?

They would stop being hunters and start being a prey.

_Chaos,_ Alec thought. _City made of bones and blood flooding the streets. _

There was one last thing he had to ask.

He focused on the green-skinned warlock again.

"What is the final ingredient?" he said and then he just stood there waiting for answer that he already knew. It was constantly creeping in the darkness, luring his inner monsters to come out and consume him, like they did so many years ago. He knew what it meant to feel loss. To have a broken heart. But still, that thought frightened him and chilled him to the bone.

After a few seconds that felt like a whole eternity, Ragnor spoke quietly.

"A life of a warlock. An immortal life, you may call it. That's the warlocks' most recognizable trace."

Everyone let out a little gasp, apart from Alec, who wasn't surprised at all.

Dead inside.

Like there was no more light to guide him, even no more tears to be spilled, no more anything.

He couldn't help but wonder, whether it was already too late, he didn't want to give himself false hope, especially when he looked at his companions and he saw it in their eyes.

_Lack of hope burns like fire, _he thought. _Fire is the only reminder of something we once had and then lost. When all burns away, the pain doesn't leave. _

The only thing Alec wanted was to get out of this God-forsaken place. He turned on his heels and was about to walk out of Hotel, when he heard Jace shouting his name and then something hit him hard from behind. He felt someone biting into his arm and for just a second he thought he was about to panic, but that didn't happen. He stayed calm and tossed an attacker aside, didn't even care enough to wipe the blood that was flowing out of his arm, where he bit him.

Alec grabbed his bow and was about to fire an arrow, when someone shouted.

"Alec, no!"

It was Isabelle. If it hadn't been for her voice, Alec probably wouldn't have stopped, but it was her. His sister, who could always get through to him, even in the darkest times.

He took another look at a creature a few feet away from him, then gasped.

"Raphael," he said.

The vampire jerked aside and tried to cover his eyes, or rather what was left of them. He was blind, and in a place where eyeballs were supposed to be, he only had two black holes and a skin around them seemed to be burned.

"Lightwoods," Raphael hissed. "Came to finish daddy's work?"

Alec's eyes widened. Could this really be his father who's killed all these vampires? Werewolves?

Could his father hate him so much that he would attempt to… to kill Magnus?

"What are you talking about?" Isabelle asked in disbelief.

After a little pause Raphael spoke again, he was clearly tired and his breath was shallow.

"He came here a few hours ago, with some black-haired chick and Camille," he said. "We were told Camille wants to make peace with us, since she lost a fight for leadership, but instead, she brought a nuclear bomb to our house! That girl, she… She was a warlock, yes. And we burned, oh how we burned. We all burned!"

Everything fell silent. The only noise in the whole building was Raphael's breath.

Finally, it was Alec who broke the silence.

"We have to find him, now."

Jace put a hand on his parabatai's shoulder.

"We can't leave him here like this. That's… that's not us, Alec."

Alec took a deep breath. He knew Jace was right. He was not his father and he would never be him.

"We should help him somehow, heal him, we may not be able to restore his sight, but maybe we could help with the pain," said Catarina, her inner nurse took over for a moment. When they were all too busy talking about possible ways out of this situation to notice, Ragnor stopped wandering around and moved closer to Raphael lying on the floor.

He assumed the vampire didn't know he was there, but he took a look at his wounds really quickly and came up with a plan.

"I will stay and heal Raphael," Ragnor said audibly. For the first time today the crazy note was absent from his voice, like he was actually for once focused on something.

Everyone turned to look at him, and he repeated his words.

"I stay, you go. Now! Don't waste time. Save Magnus. Catarina, I know you can sense that kind of magic when it's being used. You can do it. Use your power to track it and you will know where to find Alexander's father. But remember, time is not on your side tonight."

* * *

_**As always, I hope you liked it, let me know in reviews, because there is nothing in the world that is better than reading them. Thank you! x**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note:** Hello! Did you guys have a good Christmas? I hope so! Thank you for all the reviews and follows and favorites, it really means a lot to me.

After a _very __long _break I finally can present you the next chapter of "Break Me". I hope you will enjoy it.

* * *

As for the city that rarely sleeps, New York was darker than any of them could remember. Everyone was silent. This silence was heavy, but no one dared to say a word. Police sirens could be heard from the distance and Alec wondered what it was like to be a mundane. How would it feel, not having Marks and not being a Shadowhunter. He has always assumed that human's life was boring, but he couldn't shake the feeling that perhaps boring was good. He was always thought to be the tough one. The warrior, the protector. But the recent events reminded him of his helplessness. He realized there was nothing special, nothing strong about him. After all, he couldn't save someone he loved. He couldn't protect him.

"Stop," Catarina said and raised her hand. Everyone stopped in their tracks. Isabelle frowned and looked at Jace, who also had no clue why they had stopped. "I know what I need to do. I can find him, but I need something first…"

Jace raised his eyebrows. The group couldn't afford to relax just now, but one could not deny the hope that was bursting through the closed gates of their hearts.

"What do you mean?" Jace asked. He moved closer to the warlock and looked at her intensely. "Just name the thing and we'll give it to you."

Catarina smirked.

"I'm a warlock, honey. We don't always need _things _to perform a spell," she said. Jace frowned but he saw Alec's face light up as if he knew what the girl was talking about.

"She means energy," said Alec. "Warlock's power is not infinite, everyone needs to recharge sometimes."

Jace shrugged and took Catarina's hand.

"You should have just said so. Okay, no problem, let's do this."

Then Alec grabbed Jace's arm and made him look him in the eye. It was the first time they shared a voiceless connection like this in days. Even though they both knew what was to happen, Alec spoke.

"I should do it, Jace."

"Fine." Jace agreed and after a few seconds of just staring at his parabatai's face full of anguish he tried to hide from everyone else, he stepped away and joined Isabelle, who was standing just a little behind them.

Alec nodded at Catarina and she grabbed his hands and said:

"This will hurt, Alec."

He just nodded once again and encouraged her to keep going. Alec closed his eyes as the place where Catarina's hands touched him lit up with a bright, white light.

The pain was horrible, it was not like sharing his strength with Magnus for the first time during the battle on Valentine's ship, nor it was like that time when Magnus almost died stabbed by Amatis.

It was just different.

There was something intimate about sharing strength with a warlock, so he couldn't help but feel quite awkward doing it with Catarina. But his thoughts were not here, not with her at that moment.

Isabelle saw Jace beside her wince in pain and she figured that he felt everything Alec felt. Usually parabatai felt just a small amount of pain the other half was experiencing, so the pain Alec was in must have been terrible.

By the time Catarina removed her hands from Alec's, he has already had some serious trouble catching his breath. He didn't even notice Isabelle coming towards him until he felt her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" She asked quietly. Her eyes were shining with tears. Alec knew his sister was not the one to cry, at least she never let anyone see her tears, but she couldn't hide them now. He knew Jace felt his pain, because he experienced it too, especially that one time when Jace died. But Isabelle didn't need to be Alec's parabatai to do it. She just knew everything and knew him probably better than he knew himself.

Alec wiped his sister's tears from her cheek and smiled at her.

"I'm fine, Iz," he whispered, not trusting his voice enough to speak louder. He then looked at Catarina and noticed her chanting.

Everyone except for her was silent. Alec gritted his teeth nervously, impatiently waiting for Catarina to say that she found an answer.

"I know," she said after some time and Alec let out a gasp. "I know where he is."

She told them the address, but they had no clue about where exactly it was.

"I know where it is," Alec said. His companions looked at him. "It's right next to the abandoned subway I used to meet with Camille at."

Jace took his dagger out of his sleeve and turned to look at Alec.

"Lead the way."

* * *

The sound of opening door filled the silence in the room Magnus was in. He was beginning to feel tired of all the visits Robert paid him. In the moments of weakness Magnus thought that being killed would be a gift. Sometimes he wished Robert would fulfill his threats, he just wanted to be done with it. But he knew he couldn't think that way, not when he still had someone looking for him.

He wondered, once or twice, whether Alec was really looking for him, but when he realized where his thought wandered, he was ashamed. He promised Alec a long time ago that he will never doubt him. And he didn't. So why ruin it now?

Magnus was sure it was because of all this weird energy around here, there was something that constantly drained him of everything, feelings, thoughts, emotions… That was the hard part.

He was scared he would forget people. Or even worse – that he would forget who _he _is.

Magnus opened his eyes and saw Emily standing behind Robert. They were surrounded by demons, there was no doubt they were still controlled by the Shadowhunter. He felt claws digging into his skin as someone – or rather _something_ – grabbed him and made him stand up.

Suddenly, it was all dark again for Magnus, the demons must have blindfolded them. He tried to focus his mind to at least _hear _what is going on. He heard chains being pulled out of the walls they were planted in, and thrown on the floor.

"Get him," Robert said. "Lead him to the altar."

Someone came closer to Magnus and grabbed the chains that were holding him.

"Come," said the voice. It was Emily. Magnus didn't try to say anything, because he knew it wouldn't end good for both him and his sister.

_Sister._ It was weird to think about her that way. He wondered if she could have been lying to him when she said that they have the same father, but he just _knew _she was telling the truth. Perhaps his magic was blocked, but his instincts were not. He needed no proof.

He felt her pulling him, so he followed the footsteps. He could still hear demons growling by his side, and somehow he knew Robert was still walking with them too. Maybe it was the hatred he felt every time they were in the same room.

"Hurry, child!" Robert shouted. "Get him inside the ring and let the fun part begin."

Magnus chuckled. Suddenly, they stopped and Emily let the chains fall on the ground and removed the blindfold from Magnus' eyes. He blinked a few times before he could see properly. The room was similar to where they were before, but it was bigger and had a little bit more light in it. He looked around and saw three other rings, a little smaller than the one he was in. They were painted on the floor with blood and had some little things inside them, Magnus thought they looked like claws, or teeth, and the third one had a tiny, golden bowl inside it, but he couldn't see what was in it.

He was standing definitely in the middle. That must have meant he was the last addition to the equation.

Emily stepped out of the ring and looked at Robert. Magnus saw fear and despair on her face, but he prayed she wouldn't let Robert know anything.

"I'm ready," Robert said and nodded. "Start chanting, Emily."

Emily closed her eyes and began saying words in Latin, which Magnus understood completely, since he was Latin fluent.

"_The forces of fire, I command you to rise."_

Just like he thought, he was suddenly surrounded by the ring of fire. It was hot, but bearable. At least for now.

"_The bleeding earth, the sorrowful wind, the wise water, the eternal fire, I request your assistance!"_

Magnus could not understand how Emily could channel the power of the elements to do sacrificial magic – _it was obviously sacrificial. _It must have been her special ability, the thing that made her precious in Robert's eyes. She could do basically anything, so why didn't she just use all that power the way _she _wanted?

_Her family, _Magnus remembered. _She wants to protect her family, even if it would cost her her own life._

Magnus couldn't make out any more words that Emily said and then he felt as if someone stabbed him in the heart. Then a piercing pain in his head. He fell down on his knees, clutched his head and shut his eyes.

The pain was unbearable. Magnus wished he would just pass out, but he knew it was just a wishful thinking. Robert would obviously make sure Magnus was conscious enough to feel the worst pain he has ever experienced.

The images started flashing before Magnus' eyes. Memories. Some of them were recent, but there were also ones from his early life, even when he was a child. Then he realized that the spell was taking away his life, not only the physical aspect of it, but memories too, and emotions, and feelings. He saw faces of everyone he knew. He saw his mother, the Silent Brothers who raised him, Ragnor, Will, James, Tessa, Henry, Camille, and then came the most vivid ones, Catarina, Isabelle, Jace… _Alec._

Magnus didn't even notice that his eyes were wide open. He didn't recognize the reality, everything got mixed up and just felt so heavy. He wanted to fall asleep and never wake up. He wanted the ground to swallow him and for it to finally be over.

He looked at Robert and for one moment his face showed how much he is proud for doing _the right thing._ He was consuming Magnus' powers with such greed, such pleasure, that it was almost pathetic.

Then, suddenly Robert winced and Magnus frowned. He saw the Shadowhunter reach for his right arm and grab an arrow that was buried in his flesh.

"Robert!" The voice rose above the noise around. Another arrow cut the air with a whistle, this time it was meant to land in Emily's body, and for a brief moment Magnus wanted to reach out to her and protect her from the attacker, but the demons did it for him, as they stood around the warlock girl and stopped the arrow.

"Stop this! What are you doing?!" Came another voice, this time it belonged to a girl.

Emily must have stopped doing the spell because Magnus could see everything clearly again. He didn't really know where to look, but when he heard Emily call out his name, he fixed his eyes on her.

She looked scared, but hopeful. Her eyes were wet with tears, but she spoke loudly and clearly.

"Now!" She shouted.

Magnus immediately knew what she meant. He reached for the little key she left him the other day and used it to open the handcuffs. Magnus felt the energy flowing back to him, he almost forgot how it felt to be a warlock, but there he was again. He felt the blue sparks in his fingers.

He looked around the room and almost fell over. It was real. The last faces he saw… Isabelle, Jace, Catarina and Alec, they were really there. He looked at Alec's face full of anger and hatred as he was arguing with his father. But then something changed in his expression.

He looked Magnus in the eye and every trace of anger left his face. He started walking toward the blood rings and when Robert tried to stop him, he punched him in the face.

Alec fell to his knees next to Magnus, who was still too exhausted to stand up. He cupped Magnus' face with his long, cold fingers.

"Are you hurt? What did they do to you?" Alec asked and his voice broke.

Magnus didn't say anything, but smiled and threw his arms around Alec. He felt the same as always, strong, steady… _Safe._ But something changed. Magnus knew what it was, and the thought only made him want to kill something. Alec was barely hanging on.

"Alec…" He whispered and buried his face in Shadowhunter's neck. For a few moments they forgot about everything that was happening around them. There were only them, nothing else they would care about, just being around each other, nothing else mattered.

_But it had to matter. _

They both stood up and realized they were cut off from Jace, Catarina and Isabelle.

"Alec!" They heard Jace's voice. Robert stood by his demon horde and looked furious. He looked at Emily, who was still standing surrounded by demons and tears were now falling down her face.

"You useless little brat! Your family will pay for it," he hissed. "But so will you!"

Magnus gasped.

"Alec," he said. "She's my sister."

"What?"

"The warlock girl, she's my sister. I need to save her!"

But they both knew it was too late when Robert spoke again to the demons.

"Kill her."

"No!" Magnus shouted, but the creatures had already got to the girl and all they could hear was her scream of pain.

Magnus wanted to run to her, to help her, but Alec's strong arms held him in place. The warlock was sobbing as the demons left the lifeless body on the floor and stood behind Robert Lightwood.

Alec was furious. He reached for his Seraph Blade and rushed toward his father.

"I'm going to kill you, you sick son of a bitch!" He growled. Magnus couldn't stop Alec, he was still too weak to catch up to him.

Everyone just stared at the scene that was playing in front of their eyes. The long built hatred that was inside Alec, finally found a way out and it was going to be lethal, either to him, or Robert. They had no doubt Robert would fight, and wouldn't particularly mind killing his own blood.

But then, something unexpected happen. The door to the warehouse opened and Magnus saw the shadows of two people, but he couldn't see who it was.

"By the Angel, Alexander, stop it right now. You're not going to kill your father!" The voice said.

Alec stopped in his tracks and stared at the newcomers in shock and disbelief.

"_Mother…?_"

* * *

_**Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! ^_^**_


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